Extracting the Core

Live albums are anathema to many, and it's not hard to see why. Why buy a live album when you can watch the thing on YouTube, or just simply catch it in the flesh yourself? I do not disagree with this logic, but I feel that live albums can scratch a certain itch; that is, they can provide a window into the world of a band one might not be interested in investing time and dedication into. In other words, live albums can make for good Greatest Hits albums, albeit without the fluctuations in sound quality characteristic of these compilations and the feeling of being a poser that goes with enjoying them. Having never heard Martyr before, I decided to go on a limb and give their first live album a listen. Considering the brevity of the band's career at the time of its release, Extracting The Core offers a decent -albeit unbalanced- overview of Martyr's scope and vision.

As a technical death metal band from Quebec (surprise surprise), Martyr plays a strand of groovy death metal heavily inspired by beloved thrashers Voivod (another surprise) and spiked with traces of 90s Death, Atheist, Coroner, Obliveon, jazz fusion, and a few sprinkles of Malmsteen and Dream Theater. The music is filled with odd rhythms and abrupt tempo changes, the riffs themselves being a salad of finger twisters and complex grooves played in lockstep with the laser-precise drumming of the phenomenal Patrice Hamelin. The vocals are gruff barks that bring to mind the early days of extreme metal, but feel slightly out of place against the sophisticated instrumentation at work, in part because the lyrics deal with themes of emotional struggle and human behavior and I typically associate this type of music with aliens and wormholes (though there is some sci-fi going on in there too). Dan Mongrain's interaction with the audience feels natural given that he's speaking in French, his mother tongue, which mercifully spares us of all the I WANT TO SEE YOU FUCK THAT PIT MOTHERFUCKERS moments so common at metal shows.

Highlights worth mentioning include the thrashy riff around the beginning of "Inner Peace" (which I'm 100% sure was the riff that inspired Vektor to play the type of music they do), the somewhat melancholic guitar licks of "Virtual Emotions," the proggy clean intro to "Endless Vortex Toward Erasing Destiny," and the groovy hook on "Carpe Diem." Overall, almost all the songs share the exact same Athiest/Death-inspired structure: Noodly riffs that build up to a short hook, fusion-esque solos waiving in and out of a mid-section filled with all sorts of instrumental prog wanks, and then back again to the hook and the riffs at the beginning. This formula isn't particularly bad, but it takes away from the sense of unpredictability inherent in the guitar work itself, especially when considering that the two guitars never seem to be doing the same thing at any given moment, which makes the music sound more rich and harmonious than one might expect.

On the whole, this is a decent package, though I believe it could've used one or two more tracks from the debut. Like every single live album in existence, this one is rigged to the bone, but don't let that turn you off, as it sounds organic enough to guarantee an enjoyable listening experience. The broken English on the booklet is a little funny, especially for a band that takes pride in writing lyrics about "life evolution" and "the human state of mind," and the accompanying multimedia section (the 00s were funny times) sounds and looks like shit, so don't touch that one. I wouldn't say that this album had completely sold me on Martyr, but I think it's nice nonetheless. If you're enough of a poser to wonder what post-1990 Death would sound like if they had some Voivod and jazz fusion in them, then look no further.

The boys from Martyr have released another gem of technical spectacle and heavy metal mayhem, only this time they do it live. This album floored me for many reasons, the main one being how close they come to sounding as they do on their studio efforts in a live situation.

It is well known that this band is composed of spectacular musicians, but you can really feel it on this live album. Time signatures are flying around and these guys don't miss a beat. Daniel Mongrain is in good shape vocally on this release as well, delivering his unique style of forced vocals. It may not be for everyone, but it fits the music perfectly.

On to the songs! They kick it off with Warpzone, the title track from their second album. This is a fan favourite so it bodes well that they start with this one. Speechless and Inner Peace rock out with just as much flavor. But when you hear those opening chords to Virtual emotions, the hairs on the back of your neck rise up and you know you're in for a ride. The solos are tasteful and perfectly executed and the band is as tight as ever.

Hopeless Hopes is another standout track, the solos are particularly intersting to listen to, Mongrain and Pier-Luc Lampron exchange leads flawlessly and everything is just so smooth.

They close it with one of their more catchy songs, Prototype of the first record. This is one of my personal favorites and it is a crowd pleaser. A feeling of satisfaction takes over the listener upon the completion of listening to this record.

The only flaw one might find is that it is a bit short, clocking in at a mere 41 minutes, which is not very much for a live album. But every second is worth listening to. A must have for technical metal fans.